Intelligent NAZI air priorities, how bad

1. I think the most intelligent use of resources that would have become available through cancelling the V2 and V3 (multi-chambered gun intended to bombard London) would be to produce more jet fuel and avgas. In OTL many German jet and prop fighters sat around air fields unused during the last months of the war, and simply producing more Messerschmitt 262 would just add to that number of unused planes.

Having more fuel would greatly increase the number of fighter planes in the air, which then could have prevented some of the damage to the transport infrastructure in Germany and the countries it occupied. More fuel would also greatly increase the effectiveness of German ground troops.

I do not know what kind of measures were neccessary to get more fuel. In the most favorable scenario, it might be enough to mine more coal, to be liquified in existing plants. In a more difficult scenario, more plants have to be built, or more oil wells must be opened in Romania.

It might also boost the German war effort to have more workers available to repair damage to the coal liquifaction plants and the transport network.

2. Possibly the second most effective use of freed resources is making the Me 262s engines more reliable. Quite possibly the non-ferrous metals used up in the V2s themselves might be enough to do this, but even if this is not enough, some of the money used for the V2 might be used for buying the materials needed. Again, this greatly increases the number of fighters actually available for combat.

3. Developing a proximity fuse for use in the R4M air-to-air rocket and AAA shells also greatly strengthens Gemany's defences against air attacks. Even assuming that the resources used up for the V2 and V3 no longer pay for this, if they have been used up for points 1 and 2, the direct results of having many more jet and prop fighters available may be enough to allow for this, which in turn makes many more resources available, that were not destroyed due to the proximity fuses greater effectiveness in destroying Allied bombers.

As Derek Jackson said, it is difficult to imagine that this would turn the tide of the war, but it would result in hundreds of thousands of additional dead allied soldiers. It probably would result in Germany's being nuked, and possibly also in Germany becoming occupied totally by the Soviet Union, if the results of the measures mentioned above are enough to change the outcome of the Battle of the Bulge.
 

Deleted member 1487

Having more fuel would greatly increase the number of fighter planes in the air, which then could have prevented some of the damage to the transport infrastructure in Germany and the countries it occupied. More fuel would also greatly increase the effectiveness of German ground troops.

I do not know what kind of measures were neccessary to get more fuel. In the most favorable scenario, it might be enough to mine more coal, to be liquified in existing plants. In a more difficult scenario, more plants have to be built, or more oil wells must be opened in Romania.
Freed up labor would certainly help with mining and building new conversion plants. Romania had more oil, but the Germans weren't willing to pay for as much as they needed, so the Romanians kept it. Also if early enough effort is put into properly defending Ploesti, less damage to production and refining in Romania would help prevent the losses there.


It might also boost the German war effort to have more workers available to repair damage to the coal liquifaction plants and the transport network.

2. Possibly the second most effective use of freed resources is making the Me 262s engines more reliable. Quite possibly the non-ferrous metals used up in the V2s themselves might be enough to do this, but even if this is not enough, some of the money used for the V2 might be used for buying the materials needed. Again, this greatly increases the number of fighters actually available for combat.

3. Developing a proximity fuse for use in the R4M air-to-air rocket and AAA shells also greatly strengthens Gemany's defences against air attacks. Even assuming that the resources used up for the V2 and V3 no longer pay for this, if they have been used up for points 1 and 2, the direct results of having many more jet and prop fighters available may be enough to allow for this, which in turn makes many more resources available, that were not destroyed due to the proximity fuses greater effectiveness in destroying Allied bombers.
What was more important was developing better gun-laying computers and producing more of them for their existing FLAK to make it more accurate. Also adopting the contact fuze for their FLAK shells saves lots of copper from the timed fuzes they were using, while also increasing the shoot down rates (IOTL they experimented with these late in the war and found that they dramatically decreased their shell expenditure-per-kill rate). Add in a tracer body to the shell both act as a fuze to detonate the shells before they fall back to earth and to throw off bomber aim and you get a cheaper, easier to produce, and more effective shell, especially as the smoke from combustion fills the wake of the shell, increasing speed and range, which also increases accuracy:
http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/B/base_drag.html


As Derek Jackson said, it is difficult to imagine that this would turn the tide of the war, but it would result in hundreds of thousands of additional dead allied soldiers. It probably would result in Germany's being nuked, and possibly also in Germany becoming occupied totally by the Soviet Union, if the results of the measures mentioned above are enough to change the outcome of the Battle of the Bulge.
Anything that helps take the pressure off from the Combined Bomber Offensive helps production, which would have been around 35% higher without it, plus it keeps the oil and transport infrastructure from falling apart, which in turn keeps the Axis military fighting longer and gives them a chance to evacuate more civilians from Prussia and away from the Soviets. Plus the more they can keep the Soviets East the less damage they experience in Germany.

Extra oil, less bomb damage, more pilot training, more production, more tanks, etc. all help the Germans stave off defeat longer and helps their population by keeping the Soviets further east.
Of course this means very bad things for the people the Nazis were murdering...
 
What was more important was developing better gun-laying computers and producing more of them for their existing FLAK to make it more accurate. Also adopting the contact fuze for their FLAK shells saves lots of copper from the timed fuzes they were using, while also increasing the shoot down rates (IOTL they experimented with these late in the war and found that they dramatically decreased their shell expenditure-per-kill rate).
The following is just a question, not an attack on your statement. Do you really mean that contact fuzes were dramatically more effective than timed fuzes? I just want to go sure that you did not write "contact" by mistake.

And why do the tracers throw off the bombers' aim?



Anything that helps take the pressure off from the Combined Bomber Offensive helps production,... ... ... ... and gives them a chance to evacuate more civilians from Prussia and away from the Soviets. ... ... ...
If I remember correctly, the Nazi authorities started evacuating Eastern Germany too late in many cases. In the scenario that might arise from cancelling the V-weapons, the Soviets arrive later than in OTL, but if we assume the same propensity of the Nazis to deceive themselves and others, the evacuations will also start later than in OTL.
 

Deleted member 1487

The following is just a question, not an attack on your statement. Do you really mean that contact fuzes were dramatically more effective than timed fuzes? I just want to go sure that you did not write "contact" by mistake.

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=68932
From "Das Deutche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg", vol. 7, p. 284, my translation:

"The Germans ... invented the socalled dubbel fuse, a combined time and impact fuse..... With the dubbel fuse the heavy flak shot down 13 bombers each for 370 shells, whereas until then 3500 to 4000 heavy shells and 5000 - 6500 light flak shells were needed per shoot down."

And why do the tracers throw off the bombers' aim?
Imagine being a bombardier and looking through your bombsight to see thousands of rounds streaking up at you; its disconcerting to say the least.
Also the resulting lack of base drag with make the shells faster and therefore more accurate, as well as increasing range.

If I remember correctly, the Nazi authorities started evacuating Eastern Germany too late in many cases. In the scenario that might arise from cancelling the V-weapons, the Soviets arrive later than in OTL, but if we assume the same propensity of the Nazis to deceive themselves and others, the evacuations will also start later than in OTL.
There is a good chance you are right.
 
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